1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a mechanical gate used in industrial processes. Material is passed through the gate, after which the gate is closed so the material that had passed through can be discharged through a different part of the same gate assembly. After discharging the material, the process is repeated. In particular, this gate is used to safely receive materials from a first process operating at elevated temperatures, elevated pressures, or both to a second process at ambient conditions, without violent or rapid losses of pressure or heat to the second, ambient process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A system for processing waste uses an infeed assembly; a metamorphic processing apparatus (MPA) held at elevated temperatures, elevated pressures or both; and an outfeed assembly. The outfeed assembly requires an outfeed gate.
The MPA discharges material to the outfeed assembly. The outfeed assembly compacts the material with a compaction ram in a compaction chamber, forming a plug or a block. The outfeed gate allows a portion of the material in the block to pass through an inlet hole into a block forming section, and then the gate is cycled. The cycling of the gate simultaneously cuts the block and closes the compaction chamber. The block is then discharged from the block forming section through a separate outlet hole in the outfeed gate to a material exit apparatus, and the process is repeated.
The outfeed gate is part of the outfeed assembly, which can be used independently from the MPA or the infeed system. The prior art utilizes an outfeed gate comprised of a fixed plate with an inlet and an outlet hole and a sliding plate with a single hole, where the sliding plate directly contacts and slides over the fixed plate. The fixed and sliding plates are made of P20 steel, which is a relatively soft steel, so the sliding action leads to wear on the plates. Furthermore, material from the compaction chamber can become trapped between the fixed and sliding plate, causing scrapes and grooves as the plates slide over each other. The general wear and the grooves lead to leaks between the two plates. This entire system for processing waste is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2006/0144980, which is incorporated herein by reference.